Jeff Thomas, Hi, I have been very busy trying to learn to shoot Service Rifle.
Doux in Pheonix, very good explanation. One detail that needs clarification. The National Match Course is a 50 shot 500 point course of fire. This is the course fired in Excellence in Competition Matches otherwise known as "LEG" matches. The off hand, sitting and prone rapids are 10 shots each (30 total) and the 600 yard prone slow fire is 20 shots (for fifty shots to complete the match). In the actual conduct of a LEG match there are NO sighters. This course is often shot without sighter by each of four men to make a a team.
The course you describe is the NRA 800 point 80 shot aggregate, otherwise known as "across the course". Usually this course affords the shooter 2 sighters for each stage. Total ammunition required is therefore 88 rounds.
For those of you who have never seen these courses of fire the ten ring at 200 and 300 is 7 inches around a 3 inch X ring. The nine ring is black at 200 for a 13" aiming point.
At 300 the 8 ring is also "in the black" for a 19 inch "bullseye".
Master and High Master class shooters will often shoot 100-8X or 9X fairly regularly at 300 yards. 100-10X cleans are becoming more common place as more shooters switch to the black rifle.
Think about that, a shooter starts standing up, and in 60 seconds goes prone, shoots 2 shots, reloads and shoots 8 more for ten rounds in sixty seconds with iron sights and hits a 3" disk 8-10 times in a row!
What is really neat about this is that anyone can learn to do it!
At 600 yards the 36" bullseye inludes the 7,8,9, 10 and of course the X rings. The 10 ring is a 12" ring around a 6" X ring. The 9 ring is 18" in diameter, the 8 ring 24 inches in diameter and the 7 ring brings the total diameter to 36".
On the way to her record SSgt Watson hit the 12" 10 ring 20 times in a row! With iron sights! With a .223 rifle!! (You all could too if you trained like she does, and kept yourself together as well as she has mastered herself!)
With the service rifle, only issue type iron sights are used. These rifles and sights may be improved but must be externally the same as the issue item. A hooded rear sight is allowed for the M16 as there is one allowed for the M14/M1A and the M1.
Hope you come out and play!
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Non Illegimiti carborundum!
Yours In Marksmanship
http://www.1bigred.com/distinguished
michael
[This message has been edited by Michael Carlin (edited July 15, 1999).]